


three am at denny's

by fantasticfours



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Bat Family, Gen, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 12:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12432930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantasticfours/pseuds/fantasticfours
Summary: Two college students go to Denny's to escape from the horror that is homework and sleep deprivation. The people they meet there are... interesting, to say the least.





	three am at denny's

Sophia sighs as she looks over at her roommate, Natasha. She was trying to _sleep_ and here Nat was, at three in the morning, still studying.

She turned over in her bed to stare at the wall, but still couldn’t escape the bright glow of Nat’s laptop. She tried to close her eyes, but all she could hear was the tapping of her fingers as she typed up something or another.

Eventually she’d had enough. Soph kicked off her covers and stormed to Nat’s desk, slamming her laptop closed and grabbing her by the arm.

“W- _What_?” Nat slurred. Soph was almost sure that she hadn’t slept in days.

“ _You_ need to relax. If you’re not going to let me sleep, we’re going to go somewhere.”

There was a pause as Nat checked the time. “At three in the morning? In our pyjamas?”

“…Denny’s.”

Nat sighed and rolled her eyes as Soph dragged her out of the room.

“Denny’s it is.”

~~

They both sighed as they opened the door to the Denny’s, blinking their eyes to adjust from the darkness outside to the harsh white lights inside.

To her credit, the waitress who greeted them didn’t even blink an eye when she saw the two of them walk in in their pyjamas. They ordered what they wanted – chocolate chip pancakes with coffee and spaghetti respectively – and then sat down.

“I can’t believe you’re eating spaghetti at 3 am,” Soph said to Nat, the hint of a smile in her voice.

“I can’t believe you ordered off the kids menu. Time is an illusion,” Nat replied in a monotone voice.

They had just been brought their food when the doors opened, and Nat raised her eyebrow.

“Who else is crazy enough to be at Denny’s at this time?”

They both turned their heads to look at the doors, and Nat started coughing as she saw who it was.

Nightwing and Robin had just walked into the same Denny’s as them at three in the morning – well, Robin had walked. Nightwing was upside down, using his hands to move forward.

Nightwing was smiling at something Robin had said – or done? – as he walked in, though he looked tired, which made sense. Robin was scowling, sword still in his hands.

“Hey, Mina!” Nightwing called out and the waitress turned. “How are you?”

The waitress – Mina – smiled at him. “I’m doing good, and you?”

“I’m as good as a vigilante can be. Can I get some coffee?”

Robin clicked his tongue. “I would like some as well.”

Mina looked at the both of them with disapproving looks, to which Soph got the impression both of them were rolling their eyes.

“C’mon, it’s late and we were just patrolling and we’re _tired_ ,” Nightwing whined, and Soph turned to look at Nat with wide eyes.

“What the fuck.”

“I know.”

“What the _fuck_.”

“I _know_.” Then Nat paused for a second, before whispering over to her, “Nightwing has a _really_ good ass.”

“Oh my god, Alex said it but I didn’t think it was _that_ perfect. Damn.”

As they said that, Robin’s head turned to stare at them, a scowl still on his face. Neither of them could suppress a shudder as he glared at them.

He started to walk over to them, but Nightwing seemed to realise what he was doing and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Robin, people talk about my ass all the time, it’s because it’s pretty great. Please don’t kill them when they do, especially at three in the morning when they have no brain-to-mouth filter.”

Robin kept glaring at them, but made no sign that he was moving. “Tt.”

Nat stated shovelling her pasta in her mouth again, turning to look anywhere but at Robin, and Soph did the same.

“For a ten-year-old, that kid is _intimidating_.”

From the other side of the Denny’s, Robin turned to them again, betraying that he had been listening in on their conversation. “I am _twelve_ ,” he said, this time without a scowl but with what looked more like a _pout_.

Nat’s mind seemed to be following the same train of thought as Soph’s, as she started cooing at him.

She stopped when he reached… _somewhere_ , and pulled out his sword. Nightwing just made a disapproving sound, and he sighed and put it back.

It was then that the doors to the Denny’s opened again, and all their heads turned to see who would walk through now. Nightwing’s face broke out into a smile when he saw Red Robin.

His feet dragged on the ground and as he walked past the waitress he just mumbled something in her direction, to which she gave him a disapproving look but seemed to go get what he wanted anyway.

His head turned, looking for the other vigilantes, and his whole body seemed to relax. He started to make his way over to Nightwing and Robin, slumping down in the seat next to Nightwing.

Mina came out a couple of seconds later with a five mugs of coffee, setting one in front of Nightwing and one in front of Robin, before putting the other three down in front of Red Robin. He grabbed the first mug with both hands, inhaling the coffee before throwing it back and chugging the whole thing.

Soph and Nat then watched as he did the exact same thing with the other two cups.

When he was finished he fanned his tongue for a second – which was when they remembered, yeah, coffee was _hot_ – before turning back to Mina.

“You,” he started, “Are a _goddess_.”

Mina’s smile turned from exasperated to smug, but still she shook her head at Red Robin.

“That ain’t healthy, boy. Maybe if you _slept_ once in a while…”

“Crime never sleeps and neither should we,” Red Robin replied in a deadpan voice.

Nat turned to Soph. “I bet he’s a college student,” she whispered, and Soph laughed. “Think about it. I bet he’d be like, criminal justice or something like that.”

Nightwing seemed to be offended at Red Robin’s response. “Speak for yourselves. _I_ get at _least_ a healthy eight hours a night.”

“Nightwing, yesterday you got home from patrol and spent the next ten hours _knitting_ , you haven’t slept in at _least_ three days. Stop trying to lie to poor Mina,” Red Robin replied mockingly, and Robin clicked his tongue when Nightwing looked to him for help.

“He is,” he shook his head and seemed to have to force the words out, “He is not wrong. Also you eat far too much sugary cereal.”

With that Mina shook her head and sighed, before leaving their table. The masked vigilantes turned back to each other and started talking in quiet voices.

Soph smirked at Nat. “Bet you’re glad I made you come down here now.”

“I am, wow. I’m texting this all to Alex, he’ll be kicking himself when he finds out he missed this.”

They sat and ate for a while, and when Soph finished her chocolate chip pancakes she ordered more. She bristled when Nat raised her eyebrow.

“I’m _hungry_.”

What Nat was going to say was lost, as then the door was opened again – _kicked_ open.

In walked Red Hood. Nat and Soph both tensed; he was a villain, wasn’t he? Soph was pretty sure she hadn’t been making up that fight with Batman that he’d had a few years ago, along with all the people he’d killed – and there were a lot of them.

Both the girls expected them to start fighting, but instead Red Hood just strolled up to the table where the other were sitting before pointing at Nightwing.

“I fucking _hate_ you with every fibre of my being.”

“I take it you liked your present?” Nightwing replied cheerily.

“You sent _B_?”

“You were sick and being stubborn.”

“I have to move safe houses now, thanks a lot.”

“You say that like you _actually_ think that he didn’t know where you were.”

With that Red Hood scoffed and sat down next to Robin, who elbowed him in the stomach.

“Hey, demon brat, what was that for?” Red Hood asked dramatically.

“You’re wearing body armour; it’s not like it _hurt_.”

Both Nat and Soph noted that he didn’t answer the question.

Red Hood signalled Mina to come over, and she rolled her eyes and interrupted him before he could start.

“Lemme guess,” she started, “Coffee?”

Red Hood nodded, before adding, “Chocolate chip pancakes?”

“Of course,” she put her hands on her hips before muttering, “You boys and your coffee.”

Nat’s eyebrows couldn’t be higher if she tried, and Soph empathised. Did they all suddenly forget about all the people Red Hood had killed?

Nightwing reached over the table to Red Hood’s helmet, before pressing a button. The helmet fell off to reveal a domino mask.

“A mask under another mask? Seems like overkill. Wanna bet he has a third under that?”

Soph looked at him, before shaking her head. “Nah, sucker’s bet.”

Red Hood looked similar to the other vigilantes, the only thing that was really different about him at first look was – well, his skin tone – and the shock of white that was in his hair, along with the ‘J’ that seemed to be almost carved into his left cheek.

Nat ordered another coffee, and as Mina turned to leave, Soph stopped her.

“Does this happen… _often_?” she asked hesitantly.

“Oh, all the time. By now it’s almost a daily thing – they meet at whichever place is closest, I think. Nightwing patrols around here, he comes and the rest of ‘em follow.”

Soph nodded, taking in the information.

Mina left when Red Robin asked for even more coffee, and she shook her head before going. “One day I’m gonna ban that boy, I am. What does he need so much damn coffee for?”

Nat sighed as her coffee came, and she started drinking it, before she sat up suddenly and squeaked.

“It’s four thirty! I have a class in like, two hours!”

“Nat, Nat relax! Why’d you take the 7am classes anyway?”

“They were the only ones that were available! She picked up her coffee before standing up, pulling Soph with her out the door.

Before she could leave, Soph waved back at Mina and the vigilantes, who all seemed to be laughing – except for Robin. He was still just glaring at them.

“Okay, but we’re totally gonna go back at some point, right?” Soph asked when they were almost back to their dorm.

“Totally,” Nat replied, slightly more relaxed now that they were on their way back. “And we’ll bring Alex with us.”

“It can be his next birthday present.”

“ _Perfect_. And cheap.”

**Author's Note:**

> Have I ever mentioned I really like outsider POVs  
> also if someone would like to send in prompts that would be. much appreciated,,, my muse can only do so much before abandoning me
> 
> [tumblr](http://wwwlw.tumblr.com/)


End file.
